Personal protection equipment (“PPE”), including chemical and biological (“CB”) protection equipment, is often used to protect an individual from exposure to dangerous chemicals and pathogens, for example in a medical environment, or when investigating a toxic chemical fire or biological spill. Such equipment can range from items which protect only the eyes, lungs, and extremities, such as, masks and gloves, to whole “suits” which completely enclose a user's body. Complete suits can be required, for example, when working in an area where toxic fumes are present, or in a military conflict where there has been a suspected release of toxic chemicals or pathogens by a terrorist or an enemy combatant.
The design, manufacture, and fielding of chemical and biological (“CB”) protection equipment for soldiers and first responders is complex and costly. Typically, protective garments are manufactured from materials which are completely impenetrable to air, and thereby block all exchange of moisture. While this approach provides chemical and biological protection, long term use can cause significant irritation and overheating of protected areas due to heat and moisture buildup. In the case of a protection suit which encloses a user's entire body, usage can be limited to very short durations, due to the buildup of heat and moisture within the garment and the resulting danger of user overheating and heat stroke.
One approach is to include an air circulation system and/or cooling system with the protective garment, but this adds cost, energy requirements, and weight to the garment, and can impair the mobility and movement flexibility of the user.
A January 2008 study by the Commission of the National Guard and Reserves concluded that the United States military's readiness to respond to a chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons attack showed “an appalling gap that places the nation and its citizens at greater risk.” First responders are limited to only 2.5 hours of effective performance while wearing typical CB-protective garments currently in use, due to the debilitating heat stress caused by the air and moisture impermeability of these CB-protective garments. For regular Army and Marines, JLIST (“Joint services Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology”) suits are a significant step forward, but remain significantly heavy and continue to pose serious heat stress issues.
What is needed, therefore, is a fabric from which CB-protective items can be manufactured at lower cost and decreased logistical demand, whereby the fabric will deliver effective chemical and biological agent protection while providing low weight and heat-stress management for longer usage times.